They say life begins at the end of your comfort zone. For some, that means trying a new Japanese restaurant. For Mike Horn, it’s surviving in a little tent on the North Pole at -60ºC, surrounded by polar bears. This is just one of the many feats that have made this 47-year-old South African an icon of modern adventure.

From the depths of the Amazon to the top of the Himalayas, Horn has spent 25 years trying to prove that “the impossible exists only until we find a way to make it possible.”

So what if 24-year-old Brit filmmaker named Dave Gill had never biked more than three miles before? Last November, he set off solo from New York City to cycle a 12,500-mile loop around North America for arguably the most popular reason of all: to, you know, find himself.

What sets him apart from every other aimless 20-something Christopher McCandless-esque soul? Gill wasn’t sick of civilization or technology; he wasn’t searching for solitude. He just wanted to get out of his cubicle and into the world — and meet people. The more the merrier. Because maybe, he thought, if he talked with enough folks living their lives — he just might figure out what the hell to do with his.

Do you want to know how some New Orleanians judge whether or not they will become friends with you? They’ll ask you to join them at the Country Club — a clothing-optional pool bar — and note whether you squirm uncomfortably or take them up on their offer.

The Country Club is a cabana bar, pool, restaurant and lounge, located in a 19th-century mansion. The restaurant/bar is nestled two miles away from the French Quarter in the Bywater, a neighborhood that is currently gentrifying and becoming increasingly popular with the LGBT community and hipsters.